The traditional treatment for any kidney tumor has been a radical nephrectomy (removal of the kidney) through a large flank incision.  Although an open radical nephrectomy is highly effect for removing the cancer, the postoperative recovery time can be as long as 2-3 months. 

In many cases, the kidney can be removed laparoscopically, resulting in postoperative recovery times of 2-3 weeks.  Rather than using a large incision, several key-hole size incisions are made.  A specialized video camera and laparoscopic instruments are inserted into the key-hole openings and the surgeon views the operative field on a television screen.  The primary advantage of laparoscopic surgery is a significantly shorter convalescence.  In most cases, following surgery patients are able to leave the hospital in 1 or 2 days.  Click to learn more about the minimally invasive surgical suite at Roswell Park.

Although most patients will have adequate kidney function after removal of one kidney, patients with certain conditions such as hypertension and diabetes are at higher risk for future loss of kidney function.  Such patients should be considered for a nephron-sparing surgery where only the tumor, along with a rim of normal kidney tissue is removed.  This surgical approach maximizes the remaining kidney function following surgery.  In addition to surgical resection of the tumor, tumor ablation may be an option.  Using various sources of energy, the tumor can be destroyed by using intense heat or by freezing.  In some cases, this procedure can be performed percutaneously (through the skin) using a needle-like probe.  The primary advantages of a percutaneous procedure include sparing of the majority of the normal kidney and minimal postoperative pain.

The treatment for kidney cancer that has spread to other locations is immunotherapy.  Prior to receiving immunotherapy, surgery to remove the kidney may be recommended.  The most commonly administered immunotherapies are interferon and interleukin-2.  Interleukin-2 can be administered using a low dose or a high dose regimen.  High dose interkeukin-2 therapy is more likely to produce a durable or long lasting disease remission.  However, this therapy is associated with significant toxicity and should only be administered in a carefully controlled and monitored hospital setting.

Although therapies with interferon and interleukin-2 are effective, a significant number of patients do not respond to these standard therapies.  Many of these patients may benefit from experiment treatments that are being developed at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.  A dedicated team of scientists are continuously investigating new anticancer drugs and therapies designed to activate the immune system against the tumor.  Many of these therapies may not only benefit patients with clinically detectable spread of kidney cancer, but also patients with microscopic spread of the tumor.  These patients appear to have cancer localized to the kidney; however, in time the microscopic deposits will grow and become apparent.